Many devices have been proposed for use in hair color altering procedures. Some of them are primarily for parting the hair, e.g., rat tail combs, while others are intended primarily for use in spreading the hair color altering liquids in the hair, e.g., fountain brushes and the like.
Generally speaking, the devices that are used for introducing hair color altering liquids into the hair are used in conjunction with the squeeze bottles and like containers for holding and dispensing the liquids when the beautician who uses the squeeze bottle as a handle compresses it by hand pressure and thereby creates sufficient pressure on the liquid in the container to dispense it through the device or tool into the hair.
One well known form of cap for a squeeze bottle which can be used for parting the hair and for dispensing liquid from the squeeze bottle into the hair comprises a cylindrical flange which is internally threaded to fit the thread on the neck of a squeeze bottle, a closure disc usually integral with the upper rim of the flange and a central, frustoconical elongated hollow projection integral with the closure disc and extending upwardly therefrom with its axis in the axis of the cylindrical flange (and of the squeeze bottle when the cap is screwed thereon). The projection, which serves both as a parting tool and as a discharge passage from the interior of the squeeze bottle through the projection to a discharge orifice at the end thereof, is ill adapted for spreading liquid because of its circular cross section and the obstructing parts of the cap and the shoulder of the typical squeeze bottle used with the cap, both of which are in the way of laying the projection against the scalp in trying to spread discharge liquid along the part line. This type of device, therefore, has the serious limitation that the spreading of the liquid is only ineffectively done, if at all, by the device and the usual method of spreading the liquid by beauticians who hold the bottle in one hand to part the hair and dispense the liquid along or near the part line at the scalp is to use the thumb of the other hand which holds the hair to spread the liquid upwardly from the scalp into the hair. This is a messy procedure, requiring frequent washing of the hands, and often results in sensitizing the skin to the hair color altering liquids, especially on-the-scalp type bleaches.
Another well known form of cap for a squeeze bottle which can be used for parting the hair and for dispensing liquid from the squeeze bottle into the hair comprises a cylindrical flange which is internally threaded to fit the neck of a squeeze bottle, a closure disc or dome integral with the upper end of the flange having a peripheral discharge opening surrounded by an integral, elongated hollow projection extending upwardly and outwardly with respect to the axis of the flange and of the squeeze bottle, i.e., the axis of the projection diverges from the axis of the flange from its base near the periphery of the closure disc or dome to its tip where the discharge orifice is located with the rim perpendicular to the axis of the projection. In using this form of device beauticians have been confused because they have not known which side of the projection should be used against the scalp and hair to spread color altering liquid that had been dispensed along a part line from the end discharge opening to spread it into the hair. The instructions from one manufacturer are to use the side that makes an acute angle with a plane through the open end of the flange but adjacent parts of the cap and the shoulder of the squeeze bottle prevent a beautician from laying the projection flat against the scalp too spread discharged liquid. Many beauticians thought it would be better to try to use the opposite side of the projection that makes an obtuse angle with the plane because it seemed that a greater portion of the projection would lie against the scalp but in practice they found that the portion of the cap at the side of the projection interfered with placing that side flat against the scalp and hair at the part line where the dispensed liquid is to be spread into the hair. With both available methods of use of this type of device it has been found in use that the projection is as ill adapted for spreading the discharged liquid as the first described type of cap and this has resulted in the use by beauticians of their thumbs as the spreading means with all the problems attendant thereto which have been described above.